FBI Director James Comey stopped at the New Orleans field office Thursday.

Comey, who is only six months into his 10-year term, said his agency's investigations run the spectrum, and locally, he said increased resources have been devoted to battling gang violence.

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"We run a number of tasks forces that are directed just at that," Comey said. "The mission is not to take out one or two offenders but to try and take the whole group out and rescue the neighborhood."

Comey wanted to meet those who are on the front lines of the agency's day-to-day operations. He said counter-terrorism and intelligence remain the agency's top priorities, but agents are also paying close attention to what he sees as an uptick in human trafficking, especially during big events.

"We see a disturbingly high number of underage, especially girls, being victimized by pimps and being brought to events offered for sale and services for people who would like to have sex with someone underage," Comey said.

While drugs are not the agency's primary focus, Comey said there is one drug that's becoming more and more of a problem.

"Heroin, which is reaching near epidemic proportions all across the country," Comey said.

Beyond violent crime, Comey said his agents in New Orleans are focused on the public's trust and going after officials who help themselves instead of those they are supposed to serve.

"We are uniquely situated as an independent federal agency to try to lock those people up and send a message. That's something a public official should engage in," he said.

Comey said his agency had to eliminate more than 2,000 positions in the last 18 months because of government sequestration and other cutbacks. He said the bureau now has the budget to restore those positions and is looking to hire a couple thousand people with a focus on special agents and intelligence analysts.